01/06/2013

Twelve Rules for New Graduates.

What advice would you give new college graduates about launching themselves
into the workforce? Here are 12 tips for new graduates that are just leaving
colleges and universities.

1. What you learned in college is a foundation for future learning,
nothing more. As William Shakespeare wrote in The Tempest,
"What's past is prologue." This is not to minimize your
accomplishments or to downplay the importance of graduating from college. Just
take care not to view your degree as a destination. What you learned is
important. What you learned about how to learn is essential; it's the
foundation for your life-long success.

2.
Be someone that your colleagues want to work with. No one wants to
work with someone who is unpleasant or unreliable or self-serving.
"Attitude," said Winston Churchill, "is a little thing that
makes a big difference." So position yourself to be the
colleague-of-choice. Bring a positive attitude to everything you do. Keep the
commitments you make. Help others advance their (legitimate) agendas. If you
do, others will want to work with you and help you to succeed.

3.
You’re not as smart as you think you are, even if you are as smart as you think
you are. You won't go far wrong, no matter how able you are, if you err
on the side of humility. Arrogance breeds resistance; even if you really do
have all the right answers, you need to bring people along with you. Recognize,
as well, when to stand by your beliefs and when to flex in the face of good
advice. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the
wisest might err."

4.
From the very first moment, remember you are creating an impression. You
never get a second chance to make a first impression." This observation is
backed up by much good research on the astonishing speed at which people form
first impressions of others, often in seconds. And, once formed, opinions can
be difficult or impossible to change. In fact, people tend to seek out
information that confirms their pre-existing impressions and block out
information that doesn't .

5.
Do what's required, from the menial to the extraordinary, to get the job done.
No one achieves great things without first paying their dues. So be prepared to
do a lot of work early on that may seem beneath your abilities. Keep in mind
it's more important to work in a good organization than to start with a good
position. If you demonstrate your energy, dedication and ability, advancement
will surely follow.

6.
The harder and smarter you work, the luckier you'll get. In the long
run, good work discipline matters as much or more than talent. If you can't
prioritize, focus, and produce on a consistent basis, you're not going to go
far. As Aristotle so aptly put it, "We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." So if you don't already
have a strong work ethic and good work habits, either strive to develop them,
or prepare yourself for mediocrity.

7.
Learn to listen, listen to learn. The act of listening, actively and
thoroughly, is the most powerful influence technique there is. If you listen
well, you will learn. And even if you fundamentally disagree with what's being
said, your ability to demonstrate understanding of others' points of view will
open their minds.

8.
Always do your homework. College graduates understandably are sick of
doing homework. But the discipline of being prepared is indispensable. No one
wants to waste their time with someone who hasn't done the necessary
preparation; it's a sure-fire way to corrode confidence and lose respect.

9.Don't learn the tricks of
the trade, learn the trade. There are no shortcuts to becoming
excellent. A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat,
determination and hard work." So find your vocation and figure out what it
will take to be outstanding in doing it. Resist the temptation to take
shortcuts, because they usually are dead-ends. Keep in mind that few people
mistake appearances for reality for very long.

10.
Embrace your weaknesses. Of course it's important that you leverage
your strengths. But strive too to recognize and compensate for your weaknesses.
Because it's certain that you will be called upon, at many points in your
career, to do things that don't naturally play to your strengths.

11.Network consistently.
There is an old career maxim: "It's not who you know, it's who knows
you." In reality, of course, both knowing and being known are important;
but neither is sufficient. You need to cultivate relationships that are founded
in mutual benefit, whatever the relevant currencies are. The benefits of
business relationships range from having valued sources of advice, to securing
conduits for exerting influence, to exploiting channels for getting access to
information and resources. Think hard about the relationships you need to
build, because they require substantial investment. Treat each relationship as
a bank account into which you must deposit at least as much value as you hope
to withdraw.

12.
Don’t lose yourself trying to be what you think others want you to be.
Finally, learn to appreciate the power of authenticity, especially your own.
Reflect on what you feel when you are in the presence of someone who is being
inauthentic: pity, disgust, but never respect. Keep in mind this is what others
will feel, sooner or later, if you try to be something you fundamentally are
not.